Trevor Ferguson
December
26, 2024
Haggai
1:7-15 KJV
[7]
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
[8]
Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take
pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.
[9]
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I
did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is
waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.
[10]
Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from
her fruit.
[11]
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the
corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground
bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the
hands.
[12]
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high
priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their
God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him,
and the people did fear before the LORD.
[13]
Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people,
saying, I am with you, saith the LORD.
[14]
And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor
of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and
the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the
house of the LORD of hosts, their God,
[15]
In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius
the king.
Zechariah
4:6-10 KJV
[6]
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto
Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the
LORD of hosts.
[7]
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain:
and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace,
grace unto it.
[8]
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[9]
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall
also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto
you.
[10]
For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and
shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the
eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.
INTRODUCTION
The Old Testament documents
the history of the human race and focuses on the experiences of the people of
Israel, from the call of Abraham up to the time of the return from the exile
Babylon and the re-settling of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. In first
Corinthians 10, we are told that these things were written as examples or
warnings to us so that we should not fall into the errors of Israel. The
passage goes on to warn us to be careful, lest when we think that we are
standing strong, we fall. Verse 13 of 1st Corinthians 10 however provides
a reassuring word, reminding us that God has a way of escape for all the
challenges or problems that we may face: Let me quote the verse for those who
may not be familiar with it: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as
is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it”. We can be assured today that the
challenges that we face will not overcome us, but God will provide a way of
escape. In Ezekiel 37 and are reminded that regardless of the deadness of our
situation, God can give us new life! Ezekiel 37 also reminds us that despite setbacks,
defeats and negative experiences, God can restore us to vibrancy and strength. Ezekiel
prophesied to the people during the period of Babylonian captivity and as
prophesied by Ezekiel, the people were eventually brought out of captivity and
resettled in their own land. However, the resettling was not the end of their
challenges, the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah document the
challenges faced with settling, rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and
rebuilding the temple. Today, we review some passages from the books of Haggai
and Zechariah as we seek to learn from experiences and apply these lessons to
our current situation. The key verse for focus is from Zechariah 4:6 - “This
is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power,
but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
EXPOSITION
The Israelites returned from
Babylonian captivity around 538 B.C. They planned to build a new temple in
Jerusalem, but after building an altar on the original temple site and laying
the foundations for the new temple they were ordered to cease the work due to
opposition by the other people in the region. They appealed against the
decision and after several years the restrictions were lifted and the
rebuilding of the temple allowed to proceed. However, even after the barriers
were lifted, the people failed to push ahead with the building of the temple,
but instead focused on their own houses and other matters. The prophet Haggai
confronted the people, challenging them to resume building the temple and
assuring them that God was with them and would help them. Zerubbabel, the
governor, and Joshua, the high priest, led the people and responded quickly to
the message of Haggai. Within three weeks after Haggai gave his first message,
they began their work on the temple. Haggai then came with another message,
again reassuring them that God was with them.
Zechariah began his prophetic ministry shortly after Haggai and together they encouraged the leaders and the people to complete the building of God’s temple.
With the ongoing
encouragement from Haggai and Zechariah the temple was completed eventually
completed round about 515 BC, about three years after Haggai and Zechariah
began to prophesy. This demonstrated that with encouragement, even the most
arduous task can be completed to God’s glory.
Let me share a few lessons gleaned from the passages in Haggai 1 and 2 and Zechariah 4. These lessons are likely to be applicable to your current situation!
Lesson #1: Do not abandon God's work because of problems, opposition, or competing priorities
While we acknowledge that
the initial cessation of the building of the temple was because they were
ordered to stop, after the restriction had been lifted the people, the people
were more focused on building their own homes, rather building God’s temple. The
problem was that they had lost their passion for the work of God. Let us ensure
that we keep our priorities in the right place, while personal matters are
important, these should not be used as an excuse to neglect the work of God. We
must balance our time and priorities and keep God’s work in its proper place! All
that we have ultimately comes from God and belongs to God. We are merely
stewards of God’s property. Let us therefore ensure that we give back to God of
our time, our talent and our treasure. Do not abandon God's work because of
problems, opposition, or competing priorities!
Lesson # 2: Do not
despise small things, or small beginnings
Some of the leaders of
Israel may have been disappointed that the new temple would not be as large or magnificent
as Solomon’s temple, that had been destroyed some 50 years earlier. We see this
in Ezra 3:12, where while the younger people rejoiced at the laying of the
foundations of the temple, many of the older persons wept as they remembered
the splendor of Solomon’s temple. Some may also have been disappointed that the
present structure was a mere foundation and not a finished product and
therefore not motivated to work. Zechariah admonished the people in Zechariah
4: 10 "… Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD
rejoices to see the work begin, ..." (NLT). God is delighted when we
work for him, even if we do not have much to give! Remember the widow’s mite!
Remember also the boy with the five barley loaves and two fishes. God
appreciates our sacrifices, even when they are small and can turn our small
offerings into massive blessings.
For you, things may not be as
great as previously experienced, the number of persons attending services may
not be as large as in former years; other aspects of the worship service may
not be a grand as they use to be, and many may be longing for some of the past
glories. However, regardless of how small things are today, let us put out
every effort and give it our best. God is able to use what we have to achieve
great things. If fact, Haggai prophesied in Haggai 2:9 that “the glory of this
latter house shall be greater than of the former”. God is able to take our
little and make it much!
Give it your best and let
God multiply your efforts!
Lesson #3: God stands
with his people even in times of adversity
A consistent theme from the
prophesies of Haggai was that God was with them. Haggai stated in chapter 1:13 and
again in chapter 2:4 – “I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts!” This is echoed
in several other passages of scripture. Moses remined the Israelites in
Deuteronomy 31:8 “… the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He
will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be
dismayed.” (NKJV)
In Isaiah 43:2, we are
reminded: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”. In
Matthew 28:20 Jesus reminds his disciples: “… lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the age” (NKJV). In John 14:18 Jesus reminded the
disciples: “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you”. We
can be assured today that God is with us and will be with us. Things may not be
what we want it to be today, but as the song reminds us “with Christ is the
vessel we can smile at the storm”! Let’s go sailing on. God is with us!
Lesson # 4: God can
reduce your mountain to mere rubble
In Zechariah 4:7, Zechariah
declares: “Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt
become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings,
crying, Grace, grace unto it”. Sometimes we look at our tasks and they seem
monumental! We do not know where to start, much more how we will finish. Often,
this paralyzes us, and we end up doing nothing. Zechariah is here reminding us
that nothing is impossible with God. God can take our mountain and reduce it to
mere rubble. David was able to take down Goliath, Samson was able to conquer
the Philistines and Gideon was able to defeat the Midianites. There is
absolutely nothing too hard for God! Whatever mountain we are facing today, God
will reduce is to mere rubble. Let us trust Him to work it out.
Lesson #5: Victory or
Success does not come by might, nor by power, but by God's Spirit
This last lesson is the
overall theme of today’s message. In Zechariah 4:6, the prophet states: “This
is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power,
but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts”! Let us personalize it and apply
to our individual lives: “This is the word of the LORD unto me: Not by might,
nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts! Victory will not by
our own strength; victory will not be dependent of the number of people in
attendance; victory will not be dependent on skill or eloquence of the preacher;
victory will not be dependent on the skill of the musicians or the size of the
choir! Victory will depend on the extent to which we are plugged in to God, to
the extent that we are hearing from him and obeying his voice. David reminds us
in Psalm 20:7-8: “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will
remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we
are risen, and stand upright”. So today, we will not focus on our abilities
or lack thereof. We will not focus on numbers or lack thereof. Instead, we will
look at our Red Sea and remember the words of Moses Exodus 14:13 ; “… Fear
ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to
you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again
no more for ever.” There was no way that the Israelites themselves could
have parted the Red Sea, but with God, Red Seas and just small problems. The
scriptures tell us that God sent a great east wind, parted the waters and the
Israelites went through on dry land. We serve a God who is great and powerful.
There is nothing too hard for him! So let us trust him today. Not by might, no
by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts!
APPLICATION
& CONCLUSION
The word of God today came
to encourage us. Your church may be facing many challenges; as individuals you
may also be facing many challenges. But let us arise and build God’s house. We
must set our priorities in order and get on with God work. We will not despise
small beginnings. We will always remind ourselves that God is with us and that he
can turn our mountains into mere rubble. We will always keep in mind that victory
is not in our own strength or power but is dependent on the Spirit of God. Let
us commit to trusting him today
If you are not yet saved,
today is a great day to begin to put your trust in him. Let me remind you that
the message of salvation requires repentance, water baptism in the name of
Jesus Christ and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Put you trust is God today! God
bless you today in Jesus’ name!
